First of all – here are my Top 2 Reasons… 🙂
I have already shared what triggered our family’s decision to remove chemical toxins from our home in an earlier post. But, the switch was made possible and easy when I finally decided to join Young Living’s monthly subscription program known as ER (Essential Rewards). When I first became a wholesale member my friend suggested that I also sign up for ER. For weeks I told her that our budget was too tight and I couldn’t possibly afford to spend $50 a month on oils! However, having decided that I was going to run my own Young Living business it seemed wise to try as many products as possible – to effectively share and recommend to others one must be ‘a product of the product.’ I KNOW now that joining Essential Rewards has saved me money – the products are better, healthier, kinder to the environment, and they last FOREVER!! I am STILL using the same bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner that I got last May even though I have used it to make DIY products for Thieves classes that I have taught. My face cream, shampoo, and conditioner have lasted months and are still going strong. I am only just about to finish the laundry soap that I bought in August (despite the many visitors we had over the summer and Christmas). I would never recommend something I didn’t believe in, something I didn’t think would add value to your life.
Ordering on Essential Rewards (ER) is the best way to save money and consistently support the health of your family. If you’re not already an ER member, I highly recommend joining before you place your next order. At the end of this post I have included suggestions for how to replace items you are already purchasing with items from Young Living (this is known as redirective spending); but using close to the minimum required monthly volume (which is approx $50).
Before you read any further, and because I am so confident that you will love your ER subscription – I want to tell you that I will give everyone that signs up for ER (using my membership number as sponsor and enroller) a special gift. 5 labelled roller bottles, a bottle of fractionated coconut oil and a bunch of recipes so you can get started straight away making your own rollers using your Premium Starter Kit.
Perks to ordering through ER
- You will earn ER points for every ER order placed, and you can then cash them in for free products via Quick Order.
- Free gifts at months 3, 6, 9, and 12 and free bonus products when you order 100PV, 190PV, 250PV or 300PV in one order.
- Cheaper shipping.
- The ability to join YL GO ($59 annually for 12 orders) or YL GO+ ($129 annually for 12 ER and 24 quick orders), these are FREE 2-4 day shipping subscriptions. One year of YL GO saves 3x the shipping costs. This is like Amazon, only better!
- You can change the products in your cart and your shipping date every month.
- You can cancel ER at any time and even rejoin with no penalty. BUT cash in your ER points before you cancel so you don’t lose your points.
The graphic below shows everything you would’ve received for free in 2018 if you had qualified for all the Essential Rewards promotions. To earn that much in rewards, you may worry that you would have to spend a huge amount. Here is the reality – there were 8 months where the top tier promotion was at the $300 level, and 4 months at $400; so, if you had spent the full amount each month – your total spending for 2018 would have been $4000. With ER points, 10% of PV value in months 1-3, 20% back in months 4-24, 25%* back in months 25+, you spend $4000, but you receive $2,724.53 in product for FREE!
ER is the no-brainer, cost-effective way to be consistent in supporting overall health.
Click HERE for the Essential Rewards promotions for this month.
Click on this HERE to find out more about Essential Rewards and the shipping options; YL GO and YL GO+
Ultimately, you are rewarded for being on ER and don’t actually have to spend any more money than you might otherwise. YOUR agreement for these perks is to spend at least 50PV (approx $50) a month for your Essential Rewards order. Considering Young Living manufactures many other product lines beyond essential oils and Thieves, it is therefore possible to have many of your daily needs delivered monthly to your door. You can purchase your beauty products, your supplements, your make up, products formulated for your infants, children and even pets; as well as healthy food and cooking equipment.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Month By Month Guide to Using ER to Ditch and Switch in One Year.
Month 1
Ningxia Red 750ml x 2 – Item #3042 – $73.00
Contains a great whole food source of protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins, as well as therapeutic grade essential oils of yuzu, lemon, tangerine and orange. It contains natural antioxidants which protect the body against free radicals. Free radicals create cell oxidation; therefore Ningxia Red may help prevent against oxidative stress.. Gogi berries have the highest levels of naturally occurring, age defying S-ORAC activity. Studies have shown that S-ORAC supports cardiovascular health, supports healthy immune function and supports healthy eye function. May support natural detoxing process on a daily basis.
Month 2 – 62.50PV
Thieves Home Cleaning Kit – Item #20421 – $79.75
Contents:
- Citrus Fresh™ Essential Oil Blend 5 ml
- Lemon Essential Oil 5 ml
- Pine Essential Oil 5 ml
- Purification® Essential Oil Blend 5 ml
- Thieves® Essential Oil Blend 5 ml
- Thieves® Household Cleaner 14.4 oz.
- Carrying Case
- Stainless Steel Bucket
- Amber Glass Spray Bottle 16 oz.
- Cleaning Cloth
- Cleaning Recipe Booklet
*This product is often out of stock so order it soon if it’s available!
Month 3 – 59PV
Thieves Household Cleaner* – Item #3743 – $22.50
*You may want to choose a different product if you ordered the Home Cleaning Kit
Remember that this cleaner is meant to be diluted. As a wholesale member you pay only $22.50; but guess what? If you do the math; this means you can make over twenty eight 16 fl.oz. spray bottles of all-purpose cleaner for $0.78!
Thieves Foaming Hand Wash – Item #3643 – $36.50
Month 4 – 54PV
Thieves Laundry Soap – Item #5349 – $29.50
This product also goes a long way – most laundry loads only require 1 tsp of soap as it’s very highly concentrated.
Thieves Bar Soap – Item #3679 – $10.50
Keep your Thieves bar soap in your laundry room and use it as a stain stick.
Thieves Dish Soap – Item #5350 – $14.00
Month 5 – 51-54.75PV
Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste – Item #3039 – $10.50
Thieves Dentarome Plus Toothpaste – Item #3738 – $6.75
Thieves Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste – Item #20194 – $9.00
Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash – Item #3683 – $11.25
Thieves Hard Lozenges – Item #3282 – $19.00
Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier – Item #3622 – $14.00
Month 6 – 54.50PV
Thieves Fruit and Vegetable Soak – Item #5352 – $19.75
Thieves Automatic Dishwasher Powder – Item #5762 – $25.50
Thieves Spray 1 oz – Item #3265 – $9.25
Month 7 – 57PV
Deep Relief Roll-On – Item #3534 – $27.50
Tranquil Roll-On – Item #3533 – $29.50
Month 8 – 68.50PV
Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF50 – Item #24137 – $29.75
Insect Repellent – Item #20701 – $38.75
Month 9 – 64.25PV
Life 9 – Item #18299 – $29.50
ImmuPro Chewable Tablets – Item #3213 – $34.75
Month 10 – 60.50PV
OmegaGize – Item #3097 – $60.50
Month 11 – 67.25PV
Hair Care Products – Shampoo – Item #various – $20.25 – $23.25
Hair Care Products – Conditioner – Item #various – $20.25 – $23.25
Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil – Item #23705 – $26.75
Month 12 – 61.25PV
Sandalwood Moisture Cream – Item #5148 – $61.25
* If you have young children I have a list that may be more appropriate for you than this one – please reach out and I will email it to you.
But really, the reason I am doing ALL of this is these two…
Thieves is the name of Young Living’s most popular essential oil and it’s an important ingredient in their home cleaning and personal care products, in which the usual harsh chemicals are replaced with pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients. Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, Cinnamon Bark, and Eucalyptus Radiata (an amazing mix of highly antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-infectious essential oils). Legend has it that an aromatic combination of these botanicals were used by 15th century thieves to cheat death despite plundering and pilfering from the dead and dying victims of the Black Plague. The authorities are believed to have offered them immunity (pun intended), or a more lenient sentence, in exchange for the recipe they used to protect themselves from the dreaded disease.
Fast forward to the 21st century where the plague is no longer a deadly threat, but we do find ourselves experiencing problems of a different nature. Indoor air quality is five to seven times more toxic than outdoor air quality, mainly due to conventional cleaners. It is estimated that the average person is exposed to 100 harmful chemicals before even leaving the house in the morning. Ingredients commonly found in household products are linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity; in spite of most cleaning product labels only warning about skin irritation and ingestion dangers.
A very disturbing fact for those of us living in the United States is that only 11 chemicals have been banned (for use in cosmetics; household cleaning products have significantly looser restrictions) whereas the European Union has banned over 1300 chemicals. This is especially frightening considering that the developing bodies and brains of children are more susceptible than those of adults to the toxic burden of chemicals stored in their tissues at any one time. Thankfully, our homes are the one environment that we can control.
Young Living’s Thieves product line is it’s most popular and they are all formulated and infused with therapeutic grade essential oils. These are the products I am currently using that I can recommend to you with 100% confidence, (I have many others on my wish list, so stay tuned for future updates): –
1) Thieves Household cleaner (my favourite):
I use the Thieves Household Cleaner to clean my floors, my counters, the bath, the toilets, the sinks, the stove, the fridge, toys (mostly LEGO) and on occasion even the dogs paws! I also use it as the basis for many DIY cleaning solutions; my favourite is an all purpose Thieves paste that I use as a gentle abrasive to clean anything that a simple dishcloth won’t clean – it works like magic! I also use the cleaner to make a very simple and extremely effective glass cleaner. But, aside from the efficacy of the product, there is more good news – as a wholesale member you pay only $22.50; but guess what? If you do the math; this means you can make over twenty eight 16 fl.oz. pump bottles of all purpose cleaner for only $0.78. That’s a lot of cleaning solution! I bought my bottle in May and 5 months later I have only used 1/2 of it, and not only do I clean a lot, I have also made several DIY’s and even shared some with friends and family.
2) Thieves Dish Soap:
I like this product and feel it works very well at removing grease from dishes, pots and pans. I love the scent and as with the other Thieves products, I am thankful that there are no harmful chemicals, but will admit it took me a little while to get used to it. Seeing as it doesn’t contain sulphates, it doesn’t froth, and this initially made me question if it was working as well as what I used previously. It also took me a while to realize that a very little goes a long, long way!
3) Thieves Laundry Soap:
Again, I really love this product and my clothes look and smell really clean. I was however, pretty; ok – very surprised, by how tiny the bottle of laundry soap was! I was used to the giant, heavy, bicep sculpting containers I used to buy from Costco and this one looked like it wouldn’t even give my pinky finger a work out! But, as a wholesale member you can purchase the laundry detergent for $29.50. This means you’ll get one load for about $0.50, or if you have an HE washer just $0.25. (64 loads for normal washer and 128 for HE). This price tag for natural, toxin-free laundry soap is pretty amazing.
4) Thieves Foaming Hand Soap:
Another favourite! I feel like the soap goes a long way and lasts forever. I love that we are all getting immune support every single time we wash our hands. I have this soap at every single sink in my home and I have purchased the refill container to keep costs even lower.
5) Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier:
This is quite simply a must for everyone! So many anti-bacterial cleaners contain triclosan, which is not only an endocrine disruptor, but is also known to promote the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. This natural hand purifier smells amazing (contains peppermint essential oil) and has no harmful ingredients. I recently started using this and we all love it!
6) Thieves Spray:
I bought this to have one in my purse, and one in my car, for those situations where I would like to confidently protect myself and my family from ‘lurgies’, especially during this time of the year.
7) Thieves Aromabright Toothpaste:
I really do like this toothpaste very much – I find that my teeth feel clean and they even look whiter to me. It is also a product that feels different to normal toothpastes, as it doesn’t foam, but it really works! In 6 months, when I am due to see my dentist and hygienist, I may have their comments to share with you.
8) Thieves Essence Mouthwash:
Spicy, but I love it and I really like how clean my mouth feels and, to be honest, I use far less than the instructions call for.
I was never one of those Mums that used only organic skin care products or green cleaning agents when my boys were infants and toddlers. I kind of prided myself in being a pretty relaxed mother – I never worried about my kids eating dirt or sharing straws with each other (I still don’t); but I do regret not being more cautious about the chemicals I unwittingly exposed them to. It’s never too late to make a change; never too late to turn over a new leaf.
If you would like to know how you can start using Thieves products – click here.
Good, Better, Best (value)
When I was first researching the Young Living enrollment options I read an analogy that compared Young Living to “Costco meets Amazon meets cash-back credit card”…. And I thought…, “wait, what?”!
So, let me break it down for you.
First of all… if you want to try one Young Living product but you are absolutely sure that you will never ever want to order again then you can sign-up as a Retail Customer and buy great products at retail prices. This is a good option if you are NEVER going to order again.
If you think that perhaps you might want to order more than just one product then you can sign-up as a Wholesale Member. This is where the comparison to Costco comes in. By signing up as a Wholesale Member, you get great products at 24% off. You also get to select one of several membership kits, which start at $45, to make sure that you get started with all that you need. Plus you get member exclusive offers, for example, participation in unique events such as the annual International Grand Convention – I went to Utah in June and had such a blast! So, becoming a member is the better value option: it’s also ‘a must’ if you are thinking of sharing the Young Living lifestyle to get commission or ‘Thank You’ checks. When you sign up to become a Wholesale Member you will automatically be subscribed as a Distributor but let me assure you that there is ABSOLUTELY NO OBLIGATION to ever share YL. The only requirement is to place a $50 order at least once a year to maintain your Wholesale membership.
However, the best value option, and how I have enrolled, is on ‘Essential Rewards’. To subscribe to ER, you need to put in a monthly order with a minimum PV of $50. So, what’s PV – I hear you ask – this stands for Purchase Volume and most (but not all) products have a PV. Normally products have their “full PV” which means that 1 US Dollar wholesale price equals 1PV. So, for about $50 a month, Essential Rewards gets you all the benefits of being a Wholesale Member, plus you earn points back on everything you order – in effect, you are collecting reward points each and every month to redeem against future orders. This is where the comparison to a cash-back credit card comes to effect: you get 10% worth of reward points back on your order for the first three months, 20% back for months 4-24 and 25% back for months 25+. In addition you get free gifts at 3, 6 and 9 months of consecutive orders, including an exclusive ER only “Loyalty” oil at 12 months. Plus, you get discounted shipping (a la Amazon).
In fact, it was announced this week that ER members can subscribe to YL Go ($59 for 12 months) and YL GO+ ($129 for 12 months) to take advantage of fast, easy and free shipping credits with priority order processing. This brings the average cost per shipment down to $4.92 and $3.58 respectively. This means that a subscription could save over $122 annually on shipping – or more than 10x the amount an ER member is currently paying on shipping (based on subscription to YL GO+). I can tell you that I am ABSOLUTELY going to be taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
For more information, see Young Living Essential Rewards.
I should mention at this point that a customer (or anyone that does not actually sell the products) is allowed to speak freely and is not constrained in any way by the FDA, and so a quick google search will reveal plenty of testimonials and information about the power of oils. There are even books and apps from verified third parties that will give information and suggestions about how oils might be used; remember that this is permissible only because these parties are not selling the products. However, something to be mindful of is that the properties of oils from different companies vary and therefore it’s important to consider the source when looking at information on the World Wide Web – but that is a topic for another blog!
My children were beyond upset with me for 2 full days early this summer and all because I made them sign up to join the swim team. According to them, this was a huge problem because:
a) They were too old to join for the first time at age 10 and 8
b) All the other kids had been swimming since they were 5 (not true).
c) They didn’t want to get up early (but, they are up early weekends and holidays anyway!).
d) They had never had formal swimming lessons/training of any kind (my valiant efforts didn’t count).
I was presented with that fairly impressive (and convincing) list of reasons why they SHOULDN’T join. In the end, my reason “Because I SAID SO” was the final word. I knew in my heart of hearts, that they would enjoy it and I also saw potential in them as swimmers. Getting them to their first practice (a full 2 weeks after the season had started) was not fun, at all! They were both understandably nervous (secretly, I was too) but I knew there was help. It was to be found in the contents of a little brown glass bottle, with a deep purple label. All it took was 1 drop rubbed on the bottom of their feet and a pep-talk and they did it – they had no idea what was going on; they were completely uncoordinated during the land exercises and equally awkward in the water, but they joined in and I was so proud of them!
Two weeks later and it turns out they love swimming and they are pretty good at it! They enjoyed the practices, but then we had the hurdle of getting them prepared for the actual race meet. The entire day of their first competitive meet they were both extremely anxious and complaining that every organ in their stressed-out little bodies was malfunctioning, any excuse to be excused! An hour before the meet they started to completely unravel and there were plenty of tears and lots of pleading – they were begging me not to make them swim. It was heartbreaking to see them so nervous, so it was Valor® to the rescue again. Here is a video of my youngest less than an hour after the theatrics; he was excited, happy and full of confidence! It was amazing!
Lucky for me (and you, as I have a tendency to babble when I’m excited about something), Young Living featured Valor® on their site today and they have written a very informative post that you can read here. I am certain that I will mention Valor® again because it is such a versatile and well loved oil, but I wanted to share with you how just a couple of drops of this amazing blue oil saved the summer for my family! Yes, I put the oil on a little pedestal to take its picture! 🙂
